Abstract
BackgroundRecent studies have reported the existence of a Trichuris species complex parasitizing primate. Nevertheless, the genetic and evolutionary relationship between Trichuris spp. parasitizing humans and Non-Human Primates (NHP) is poorly understood. The hypothesised existence of different species of Trichuris in primates opens the possibility to evaluate these primates as reservoir hosts of human trichuriasis and other putative new species of whipworms.ResultsIn this paper, we carried out a morphological, biometrical and molecular study of Trichuris population parasitizing Macaca sylvanus from Spain based on traditional morpho-biometrical methods, PCA analysis and ribosomal (ITS2) and mitochondrial (cox1 and cob) DNA sequencing. Morphological results revealed that Trichuris sp. from M. sylvanus is Trichuris trichiura. Ribosomal datasets revealed that phylogenetic relationships of populations of Trichuris sp. from M. sylvanus were unresolved. The phylogeny inferred on mitochondrial datasets (partitioned and concatenated) revealed similar topologies; Thus, phylogenetic trees supported the existence of clear molecular differentiation between individuals of Trichuris sp. from M. sylvanus appearing in two different subclades.ConclusionsBased on morphological parameters, biometrical measurements, and molecular sequence analysis, we conclude that the whipworms isolated from M. sylvanus were T. trichiura. Further, the evolutionary relationship showed that these worms belonged to two genotypes within the T. trichiura lineage. Since T. trichiura is of public health importance, it is important to carry out further studies to improve the understanding of its hosts range, evolution and phylogeography.
Highlights
Recent studies have reported the existence of a Trichuris species complex parasitizing primate
Trichuris species are nematodes belonging to Order Trichocephalida (Class Enoplea) and they parasitize the caecum of different hosts
This is not in agreement with Ooi et al [6] who reported the existence of a pair of paracloacal papillae associated to a cluster of small papillae in T. trichiura from human but in males of T. trichiura from M. fuscata and Papio papio and, they reported females showing everted vagina covered with sharply pointed spines
Summary
Recent studies have reported the existence of a Trichuris species complex parasitizing primate. The genetic and evolutionary relationship between Trichuris spp. parasitizing humans and Non-Human Primates (NHP) is poorly understood. The hypothesised existence of different species of Trichuris in primates opens the possibility to evaluate these primates as reservoir hosts of human trichuriasis and other putative new species of whipworms. Trichuris trichiura Linnaeus, 1771 was considered as the whipworm present in humans and Non-Human-Primates (NHP). It is known that several whipworm species are able to parasitize humans: T. trichiura (human whipworm), Trichuris suis. 1788 (pig whipworm) and Trichuris vulpis Froelich, 1789 (dog whipworm), but only T. trichiura has been considered for many years to be the specific whipworm of primates. Whipworms’ genetic and evolutionary relationship between human and NHP is poorly understood. Given the phenotypic plasticity of these parasites themselves: host-induced variation, lack of morphological characteristics, and overlap between species in morphological characteristics, it is very difficult to distinguish among closely related Trichuris species [1,2,3,4].
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